Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

San Mateo Supervisors Request Review of Proposed Changes to WELL Program Amid Concerns

San Mateo County Supervisors Jerry Hill and Rose Jacobs Gibson have ordered a review of changes to the Wellness Education Linkage Low Cost program after advocates for low-income county residents raised concerns about a proposed policy change that would exclude homeowners from participating in the program, the San Mateo County Times reports.

Immigration Status Has No Bearing on Workers’ Compensation Claims, Court Rules

Undocumented immigrants are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, including health care benefits, if they are hurt on the job, a three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ruled Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

House Passes Bill To Prevent Weight-Related Lawsuits

The House on Wednesday voted 306-120 to approve a bill (HR 554) — dubbed the “cheeseburger bill” — that would protect the food industry from lawsuits blaming it for making people obese, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.

Senate Approves Amended Bill To Provide State Grants for High-Risk Pools

The Senate on Wednesday voted to pass a bill (HR 3204) that would reauthorize a grant program for states to establish or maintain health insurance pools for high-risk individuals who are unable to obtain health insurance, CQ Today reports.

Renewed Debate Over Cost of Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Examined

The St. Petersburg Times on Wednesday examined how continued debate over the cost of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit provides “a prime example of how some politically charged debates simply never end.”